Biology

Physiology

Golduck have webbed hands and feet, ending in broad flippers, which they use to swim in rivers and lakes, much in the way as a duck would move. Their blue bodies are especially adapted to have a great hydrodynamic shape, and they have long tails with which they use to steer. Golduck are sometimes mistaken for the Japanese monster and physical inspiration for Golduck, the Kappa due to their bluish color, general body shape, and webbed hands and feet. Golduck also have red irises, a small, red sphere on their forehead, and four spikes on their head. Although Golduck have no wings, only webbed hands and feet, it is still deemed a duck instead of a platypus.

Gender differences

None.

Special abilities

Golduck are fast swimmers, out-swimming even the most athletic of humans because of their frog-like webbed hands and feet. The gem on their foreheads glows when they use their psychic powers, and occasionally when they swim at full speed, suggesting that they sometimes use those powers to swim. As shown in the Pokémon Adventures manga, after evolving from Psyduck, Golduck have greater control of their powers. They have the ability to read minds or even give knowledge to their Trainers and fellow Pokémon through telepathy.

Behavior

It has been noted that Golduck will often join swimmers when training. They are sometimes found rescuing people lost at sea from danger, their heads shimmering from the telekinetic powers that allow them do so. The headaches that ridiculed its Basic evolution form, Psyduck, don’t trouble Golduck, allowing them to have full use of their formidable mental powers.

Diet

In the anime

Golduck in the anime

Major appearances

Golduck's first major role was in Bye Bye Psyduck. Misty thought that her Psyduck had evolved, but it turned out that the Golduck was just some wild Pokémon that happened to act like Brock because of the Golduck's 'showing-off' attitude towards girls.

Trivia

In some of its Pokédex entries, it mentions Golduck using telekinetic powers. Despite this, it is not a Psychic type, but it can learn a few Psychic-type moves.

Along with its pre-evolution Psyduck, it couldn't learn Psychic via TM29 until Generation IV, requiring it to be bred to have it, even though TM29 has contained Psychic in every generation.

Golduck and Psyduck are also the only non-Psychic Pokémon to learn Wonder Room via leveling up.

Golduck's Sapphire Pokédex entry states that it is the fastest swimmer among Pokémon, although there are several Pokémon from that and earlier generations that have a higher Speed stat.

This may refer to raw swimming speed, not combat speed, which could easily be different. In fact, most of the fighting in the game occurs almost exclusively on land regardless, rendering swimming speed completely irrelevant to the Speed stat.

Golduck is one of the few Pokémon that is obtainable in every game, including expansion games and remakes.

Despite having a gem on its forehead, it is unable to learn Power Gem.

Origin

Name origin

Golduck may be a combination of gold and duck. While Golduck itself is not colored gold, gold is often used in the Pokémon canon to symbolize the Psychic type: the Gold Gummi is the Gummi variety loved by Psychic-type Pokémon, and the Marsh Badge's Japanese name is "Gold Badge".